Description:
Canadian conductor, composer, organist, record producer and author Sarah MacDonald presents an entertaining collection of essays written from 2009 to 2022 detailing life as a musician working in the university chapels and cathedrals of the UK.
Brief description: JOHN RUTTER is an English composer and conductor, associated mainly with choral music and active internationally for many years. His larger choral works, Gloria, Requiem, Magnificat, Mass of the Children, The Gift of Life, and Visions, are widely performed around the world, and many of his shorter pieces such as The Lord bless you and keep you, For the beauty of the earth, Look at the world, and All things bright and beautiful have become 'standards'. He has composed or arranged many Christmas carols. He established the Collegium record label in 1983 as a vehicle for recordings with his professional chamber choir the Cambridge Singers, and they have made over fifty recordings. He has enjoyed a long association with Clare College, Cambridge - first as student, then Director of Music, later as parent, and recording producer for their renowned choir.
Review Quotes:
'Opinionated but never obnoxious, accessible but never banal, as a collection
they make an excellent introduction to Oxbridge choirs in general...plus the skills
needed to run a crack choral outfit. Her affection for her university, college and choirs is infectious.'
-Jeremy Pound, BBC Music Magazine
'The writing, besides being meticulously researched, is thoroughly entertaining, engaging, and heart-felt'..
-Ian Loeppky, Choral Journal
'This book will be enjoyed not just by lovers of the English choral tradition, organs, or by those fascinated by Oxbridge colleges,
but also by those with interests in education, composing, performing, publishing, politics, and religion.
Her dedication and personality jump off the page as she sets about demystifying the world she inhabits.'
-Andrew Palmer, Yorkshire Times
'It would be the perfect gift for anyone who loves 'the Anglican tradition'
but isn't necessarily a professional or even an avocational organist.'
-Alan Lewis, The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians'
'Composed with an acute appreciation for what readers really want to know,
these columns reflect MacDonald's gift for sharing practical wisdom with a wry sense of humour'.
-Patrick Carter, Organ Canada
' (T)his book is both a perfect opportunity to dispel myths and
open up, to everyone, a form of music-making often shrouded in secrecy.
I recommend it wholeheartedly.'
-Paul Mealor, Composer
'(Sarah) has demonstrated her potential to train first-rate choirs and organists
with much success, enabling her to tackle a large, varied and complex variety
of music. All of these challenges have required her to be an inspirational
teacher, and I can testify that this is how so many of her students and choristers
regard her. I salute her and thank her for somehow finding the time
devise this collection which I thoroughly commend'
-Paul Trepte, Director of Music
Ely Cathedral 1992-2019
Having worked in sacred music on both sides of the pond, there are always
things about the lives of organists and choir-trainers that get lost in translation
(if not muddied by some romanticism). Sarah's writing is as down-to-earth
as it is hearty and delightful, offering incredible insight and nuance.
In an age where our art needs creative stewardship more than ever, this collection
of essays sums up where things are going in sacred music and how
bridges can be continually built across the Atlantic.
-Parker Ramsay, Concert Artist,
New York, New York
'It has been an absolute pleasure to work as producer and engineer with Sarah
MacDonald and her choirs at Selwyn College and Ely Cathedral over the last
fourteen or so years in over twenty-five recordings for the Regent label. Many
of these have been first recordings of new sacred choral music, and Sarah's
boundless energy and enthusiasm for exploring the work of both young and
more established composers has been an inspiration to us all!
I'm delighted that her perceptive and entertaining essays on the state
of choral music scene in the UK have been collected together for this new
publication.'
Gary Cole, MA (Cantab), GRSM, FRCO, ARCM,
HonRSCM, (Producer, Regent Records Ltd, UK)